Mae Whitman To Star In High School Comedy ‘The DUFF’

Parenthood‘s Mae Whitman is in negotiations to lead CBS Films comedy The DUFF, adapted from Kody Keplinger’s coming-of-age novel. She’ll star as Bianca, a 17-year-old girl who deals with the ignominy of being labeled the “designated ugly fat friend” of her social group by leading her fellow DUFFs in a scheme to overthrow the school’s evil queen, Madison. McG is producing via his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner alongside Mary Viola and Lane Shefter. CBS Films’ Alex Ginno and VP of Production Mark Ross are overseeing for the studio. Ari Sandel, who won an Oscar for the 2007 live-action short West Bank Story, is directing with filming set to begin this summer in Atlanta. Bandslam‘s Josh Cagan wrote the screenplay. Whitman is best known for playing Ann Veal on Arrested Development and most recently appeared on the big screen in The Perks of Being A Wallflower. She’s repped by ICM.